The goal of the U.S. EPA BIOME Agroecosystems Assessment Project is to evaluate the degree to which agroecosystems can be technically managed, on a sustainable basis, to conserve and sequester carbon, reduce the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and provide reference datasets and methodologies for agricultural assessment. The report provides preliminary estimates of carbon sequestration potential for the central United States including the Corn Belt, the Great Lakes, and portions of the Great Plains. This study region comprises 44% of the land area and 60% to 70% of the agricultural cropland of the conterminous United States. The assessment methodology includes the integration of the RAMS economic model, the Century soil carbon model, meteorologic and soils data bases, and GIS display and analysis capabilities in order to assess the impacts on soil carbon of current agricultural trends and conditions, alternative tillage practices, use of cover crops, and Conservation Reserve Program policy.

"EPA/600/R-94/067." "April 1994." "EPA Contract No. 68-C0-0019." "Work Assignment No. 13." "The work presented in this document has been funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under contract no. 68-C0-0019 to Aqua Terra Consultants, under contract no. 68-W0-0043 to Computer Sciences Corporation, and by cooperative agreement CR818652-01-0 to Colorado State University." Includes bibliographical references (pages 184-193).